Nana, a former member of After School, recently opened up about the pressure of being in the public eye and the personal values that guide her.
In the latest episode of the YouTube talk show “Salon Drip 2” on the channel TEO_universe, titled “Bananas Over Nana”, the singer-turned-actress sat down with host Jang Do Yeon for a candid conversation about fame, honesty, and holding herself accountable.
“I’m a sincere person,” Nana said. “And because I want to keep living honestly, I feel even more pressure to be careful about what I say and do.” She stressed the importance of accountability, especially for those with influence. “If you’ve got a platform, you should be able to say, ‘This is right,’ ‘This is wrong,’ or ‘I made a mistake,’ instead of dodging or deflecting.”
Jang Do Yeon praised Nana’s straightforwardness, saying, “It’s admirable to stay that honest, and it must be a lot to carry, but it’s also courageous.” Nana laughed as she admitted that her bluntness often makes her management team nervous. “They worry a lot about what I say,” she said. Jang Do Yeon joked, “If I were your manager, we’d probably argue all the time,” drawing laughter on set.
This isn’t the first time Nana’s directness has made headlines. Back in April, she drew attention after commenting on a viral video involving The Boyz member Sunwoo, who was criticized for his behavior in a now-infamous street clip.
In the video, Sunwoo dropped an AirPod while walking. He shouted, “My AirPod!” but entered an elevator without picking it up. A security guard retrieved it for him, but Sunwoo didn’t acknowledge or thank him, prompting backlash from fans who called his behavior “rude” and “entitled.”
Nana didn’t stay silent. She commented on the clip, writing, “He needs to be scolded. You can tell a lot about someone from the little things.” Her remark quickly went viral, with some applauding her honesty while others pushed back, especially fans of the K-pop star.
Still, Nana stood firm. “I don’t care who he is,” she said in response to the backlash. “If someone acted like that next to me, I’d say the same thing. I’d ask, ‘Don’t you need to be scolded? Where did you learn to act like that?”
Eventually, Sunwoo responded to the criticism through his fan platform, apologizing and promising to be more mindful in the future: “I’ll be more careful so there won’t be any more misunderstandings.”
